How are scientists using mushrooms instead of needles to administer vaccines?

For millions of people each year, the fear of a painful injection using a needle is enough to put off the next trip to the doctor indefinitely. But according to Celine Park, a student from the Royal College of Art, we might be able to use fungal inhalers to administer vaccines instead. The concept proposes that weakened forms of a virus can be attached to fungal spores, which travel to the bloodstream through the lungs when inhaled through the puffer. Because fungus organically contains weakened viruses, they seem like the perfect vessel to deliver vaccines. As an added bonus, the inhalers are brightly coloured and whimsical, which might help deliver vaccines to children that would otherwise be scared of a needle.

Viral Video of the Week

Arguably one of the greatest technological marvels of modern times, Apple’s iPod heralded a revolution for music lovers worldwide when it debuted in 2001. While the portable music player has dominated the market since its release, it’s hard to imagine how it was so successful if you were born in a time when Wi-Fi, touchscreens and voice commands are all standard fare. This clip tests that theory by examining kids’ reactions to the original iPod, with hilarious results. Take a look below, and prepare to feel really, really old:

Audiences have been captivated by holograms since the inception of film, with appearances in everything from Star Wars to Iron Man. And while this staple of the science fiction genre might once have seemed implausible, a group of Japanese innovators have proven skeptics wrong. Digital Nature Group have come up with touchable holograms that form a floating, 3D image, composed of a grid of visible laser beams, that change form when interacted with. The lasers are also unique in that they use special technology that prevents burning when images are touched. This incredible tech can be viewed in more detail below:

App of the week

Check out the view from up here! Dronestagram, the latest offshoot of Instagram, is about to revolutionise the way we share photos via social media. The drone-only photography app already has over 30,000 users, and boasts partnerships with National Geographic, GoPro, and Adobe. The app gives amateur photographers insights into previously unchartered categories, such as misty cityscapes, island flyovers and rainforest canopies. You can download it here.

Whether we like it or not, virtual reality is about to seriously change the world. While initially geared for entertainment purposes, the technology has found a more practical use in the medical profession in helping to cure paranoia, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder and phobias. Due to the immersive nature of VR and the way it can produce the same reactions as in real life, doctors are now using it to watch patients’ responses first-hand and tweak their surroundings. With one in four people worldwide suffering from a mental health issue, devices such as Oculus Rift could pave the way to revolutionising treatment and recovery for mental health issues.

Website of the week

You have to know your emojis if you want to communicate with Millennials, and Domino’s has the resource to help you out. Despite the success of the recent Emoji Ordering campaign, which enabled users to order a pizza with a simple pizza emoji, it was found that 40% of Americans didn’t know how to communicate with them – so, Domino’s has created the Emoji Literacy program. The website contains downloadable flashcards and is supported by a hilarious PSA, check it out: